When Joanna Young came across the Pond, she gave me a wonderful gift — a book of Scottish words and phrases. If you love language, it’s well worth reading. I learned that the Scottish language is colorful, full of words that evoke the feeling of their definition, such as swither. I also detected a German (?) influence — not sure where that comes from, but I’ll wager Joanna and Amy know.
Anyway, here is a list of my favorites. Thanks, Joanna.
Baffies Slippers.
Bampot An idiot, fool, crazy character.
Blether To chat or a chat.
Blootered Very drunk.
Boak To vomit.
Bubbly-jock A male turkey.
Take a good bucket Able to drink a lot without getting drunk.
Carnaptious Irritable or cross.
Chitter To shiver with cold.
Clishmaclaver Idle or incessant talk, gossip.
Coorie doon To snuggle up.
Corrie-fisted Left-handed.
Ding doon To rain heavily.
Fankle A tangle or muddle.
Guddle A mess or state of confusion.
Hirple To limp, to walk with great difficulty.
Kenspeckle Easily recognized, familiar.
Manky Dirty, grubby.
Mince Nonsense.
Mingin Having a foul odor.
Mink A disreputable person.
Perjink Fussy about ones appearance.
Pokey-hat An ice cream cone.
Puggled Completely exhausted.
Rammy A brawl, a free-for-all.
Scunner To disgust.
Snell Bitterly cold.
Swither To be undecided as to which course of action to choose.
Tarry-fingered Liable to steal things.
Thirled Pig headed.
Thunderplump A sudden thunderstorm.
What are your favorite local/regional phrases?
Oh Brad, this is wonderful! In fact, I’m always surprised when I look down at a list like this and realise that not everyone uses some of these expressions, as they are so ingrained in my dialect that I can find it difficult to express myself without them. I suppose if I were to add any to your list they would be ‘birl’ – dance, ‘glaikit’ – slow-witted, and ‘dreich’ – grey, wet weather.
The Scots language is so very descriptive, isn’t it?
Hi Amy, your language is incredibly evocative and descriptive, contrary to my expectations (which were based on I don’t know what). To get a flavor of the language, who would you recommend as a Scot author?
Adding a tweet in the website url of this comment for you Brad!
Our two favorite Scottish ladies just added “earwigging” for me, meaning “to listen in on another’s conversation.”
Rosa, thanks. Saw that earwigging exchange. I wonder if they have earwigs in Scotland?
One I hear a lot is “wabbit” – which, like “puggled” means exhausted – but somehow it means a longer lasting tiredness. Puggled is what you say after climbing a hill. Wabbit is a chronic state!
You can’t do any better for old Scots words than Rabbie Burns Brad. Try starting with A Man’s a Man for a’ That…..
Bob, Burns is quoted extensively in the book. I’ll try your suggestion, thank you. What a rich language. “Wabbit” sounds so much more descriptive and poetic than “chronic fatigue”.
Oh, Brad, I just found this – http://www.thatsbraw.co.uk/ – it’s the home page of Oor Wullie and The Broons. Don’t know if this will be at all familiar to you but its a couple of Dundee based comic strips that have run for decades. A real Scottish classic. Written in the vernacular and often using auld scots word but kind of contemporary
Bob, Thank you! Never heard of either, but I could spend all day looking at this website.
This is so much fun! I’m glad you liked the book Brad, it seemed like the perfect gift from one word nerd to another – especially to one who shows such enthusiasm for learning about other people’s words and language.
Like Amy I found there were some words here I thought were ‘normal’ parlance, like swither, or guddle. It’s hard after a while to work out what’s what.
I know a lot less Scots than Amy, having been brought up in England – though my parents are Scottish, so a lot of the vocabulary would have been introduced to me as ‘natural’ within the home.
When I first moved to Scotland I went to Glasgow which has a language all of its own. I had to buy a book on “the patter” to help me work out what was going on!
Some favourites from that include rhyming slang (I think I mentioned this to you):
“I haven’t a scoobie” – I haven’t a clue (scooby doo – clue)
“hillbilly” – chilly
“corned beef” – deef (deaf)
Joanna
Joanna, you and Amy and Bob are telling me it’s time to finally visit Scotland. Maybe that would be a good locale for SOBCon09!
Now THERE’S a GREAT idea!
GREAT list. I’ve heard of maybe a third of them (which is pretty good considering I’ve never been to Scotland), but I just love the dialect. I’m in the middle of (re-re-re-re-) reading Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles right now, so this list could come in handy!
Brad, I think I’d quite like that book too. Amy tweets in Scottish so I’ve been able to pick up on a few words. It is interesting to dive into the richness of other languages. I like manky and swither. It will be fun to work those into my vocabulary. Thanks for sharing, the next time I have a blether with Joanna and Amy I’ll pull a few of these out.
Deb, I’m wondering how you knew any of them having never been to Scotland. Karen, you’ll find scores of other words just as good in the book. It’s a good buy.
I read a lot!
I’ve always liked the expression, “All in a swither,” too–it just sounds so very much like exactly what it is!
I have come to this a wee bit late – so love the comments as much as the post! I am rather alarmed that blootered and boak are in there but we Scots are known for the love of the hard stuff I suppose… but on a more upbeat note anyone who can get to grips with the Broons and Oor Wullie are sorted for life in my book. My Dad is English – moved to Scotland in the 1950s for his national service and the rest is history. My abiding memory of Christmases past was us teasing Dad by asking him to read our Broons or Oor Wullie annuals ! My husband is from Perth and his late Mum and Dad could come up with some amazing words that I had not heard of. I am still learning!
Deb, I’m with you – Swither should be a must-use word here in the U.S. Jackie, getting to know a few of you Scotsmen and Scotswomen has been a real joy. Your knack for phrasing and lighthearted take on life are an inspiration! Besides blootered and boak, there are about 50 more words in the book to describe, well, you know. Naturally, we have a multitude of expressions for this phenomenon: plastered, smashed, hammered, wasted, buzzed, bombed, blotto, and three sheets to the wind being some common ones you hear around these parts.
Hi Brad,
My first time commenting here – brought about by a tweet from Rosa, who was reminded by a tweet from Amy…
I’m glad I am a little late, I got to read the comment conversation as well. Thanks for sharing this, some of these words from Joanna and Amy have really stumped me lately, but then – the occasional American word does as well. Isn’t it interesting that although we all speak ‘Engligh’, there are so many differences.
I can’t help but read this list of words and hear them with a scottish brogue…
Now I can say, with a little authority, that we just had a thunderplump here – it bucketed down
I have a question – what tartan is that gorgeous red one in the photo??
Quick answer to Karen – It looks like the Royal Stewart Tartan. ( based on my knowledge gained when I did a summer job in a tartan shop but that was 30+ years ago. )
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Stewart_Tartan
Karen, thanks for visiting. I’ve started saying “thunderplump” around the house — it’s starting to grow on my wife and daughter, I think. Jackie and Bob, glad you could ID the tartan, because I had no idea!
Thanks for the welcome Brad! Thunderplump really has a unique ring to it, doesn’t it?
Thanks for the info about the tartan Jackie and Bob!
On one of my trips to Australia, my family gave me a book called “Roo” so I was able to consider so many of the wonderful phrases used there. I hope you enjoy your little book as much as I did mine.
What about some Scottish band music? I was in the mood for some, when I saw your image.
Robyn, I should have added some music from YouTube! Next time …
How to Use Scots Dialect from the example
Get Yer Baffies….
A Wee Carnaptious Wifie and her Blootered Man
The wind was fair snell and then it began tae Ding doon wi’ rain when a wee Dundee wifie was seen walkin’ wi’ a hirple doon the Overgate in her baffies. Now this wife wis kenspeckled as she was a right Carnaptious cratur because of her man, a real Mink and a Bampot he wis.
Now wee Jess wis aye kent tae be Perjink, but the day, she seemed tae be in a richt Guddle and looked fell Puggled. “Whit’s up wi’ ye Jess,” I says,” yer in a fair Fankle the day?”
“Aye and so wid you be wi’ a Corrie-fisted, Bubbly-jock o’ a man like mine, but I’ve nae time for Clishmaclaver the noo, I’m in a hurry”.
“Och, Jess, ye can be a richt wee Scunner sometimes, I jist windered whit had upset ye? “
“That Ice Creamer on the van cawed Wull Tarry-fingered. Now that’s a load o’ Mince. What’s happened is, ye ken he’s aye been able tae Take a good bucket and he’s gone oot and got Blootered wi’ he’s pals and then efter getting ice cream aff the van, it’s gi’en him the Boak. Wee Emi-lio didnae like Wull saying his ice cream was Mingin so He’s got hisel’ intae a Rammy and a’ ower a Pokey-hat! He’s that Thirled he wid want the last word an a’!
“I’m oot here, startin’ tae Chitter wi’ the cauld and I’m a’ o’ a Swither – do I jist gang hame and Coorie doon in front o’ the fire, or dae I go and get the Manky cratur and drag him hame afore he ends up in the jile? But I’ve nae time tae stand and Blether, and wid ye believe it, look at this weather? That’s aw I needed, tae get caught in a richt Thunderplump.
by Myse 09.08.08
Great scene
Myse Dundee, Thank you for this amazing composition!
I love the word numpty. I’m from Fife, now living in the US and there are a load of numpties here.
For all of u scots language enthusiasts –
check out the works of the brilliant William Soutar,
you will not be dissapointed…
Andy – Thanks for the tip. I will check him out.